1. Chew food 40 times to lose weight

Chewing food slowly can curb cravings (Image: Getty)

Forget the latest dieting fad – one of the simplest ways to shed excess weight may be to eat more slowly.

Researchers at Harbin Medical University in China found that volunteers who chewed a mouthful 40 times ate 12 per cent less than those who chewed it 15 times.

Chewing for longer gives the brain more time to receive signals that the stomach is full. It also appears to lower levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone.

2. Drop 11lb to save your knees

Improve your exercising regime (Image: Getty)

Obesity has led to an epidemic of osteoarthritis in the UK. Knee joints crumble as weight piles on. But research shows that shedding just 11lb of excess body fat can more than halve the risk of osteoarthritis.

3. Sniff fruit to dodge desserts

Limit your desserts (Image: Daily Record)

It may look odd to fellow diners but sniffing a piece of fruit before a meal could keep you healthy.

Psychologists at the University of Bourgogne in France found it makes the brain more likely to take the healthy option. They split a test group between a room with a fresh pear scent and an unsprayed room.

After 15 minutes, they offered them a buffet. Three out of four participants who didn’t smell the fruit had healthy options compared with less than half the “pear” group.

4. Breathe deeply to lower blood pressure

Take time to relax and breathe

Deep breathing can be an effective way to reduce high blood pressure. It works by keeping blood vessels open, which lowers the pressure exerted on blood vessel walls.

5. Waltz to get over a heart attack

Head to a dancing class (Image: Getty)

If you’ve had a heart attack, waltzing could aid recovery. Research suggests it has the ideal tempo to help regain cardiac function.

A study at the Lancisi Heart Institute in Italy, involved a five-minute slow waltz and a three-minute fast one for 21 minutes.

Patients who did the routine twice a week showed significant improvements.

6. Gardening can boost libido

Get yourself outside with nature (Image: Getty)

Research at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria found that regular gentle exercise, such as weeding, digging and mowing, can revitalise a man’s flagging sex drive.

Just 30 minutes of gardening five days a week reduced the risk of impotence by around 38 per cent.

7. Take a break from email to beat stress

Step away from the tech

Feeling stressed? Then take what psychologists call an “email holiday”.

Scientists at the University of California attached heart-rate monitors to office staff and found they were in a state of “high alert” if they had constant access to email.

Those told not check their messages for up to five days at a time had healthier heart rates.

8. Walk for two minutes to beat diabetes

Happy woman hiking together outdoors

A two-minute walk every half hour could slash the risk of diabetes in millions of office workers.

In fact, a study at New Zealand’s University of Otago found it was better than a brisk 30-minute stroll.

Those who regularly walked for 1min 40sec had lower blood sugar and insulin, suggesting they were less likely to get Type 2 diabetes.

9. Fortnight’s veg improves asthma

Add more veggies

Research from Australia’s John Hunter Hospital claimed two weeks on a diet rich in vegetables is enough to have a significant effect on asthma patients.

Scientists tested how much air the lungs can expel in a second – and found that within a fortnight those on a healthy diet did much better than patients who had little or no fruit or vegetables.

10. Smile to live longer

Smile more often (Image: Getty)

Want to live longer? Believe it or not, smiling could help.

Research shows that the broader your grin and the deeper the creases around your eyes when you smile, the longer you are likely to live.

Experts at Wayne State University, Michigan, studied 230 pictures of major league players in the 1952 Baseball Register and ranked them according to whether they had no smile at all, a partial smile or a full-blown toothy grin.

Those in the “no smile” category lived an average of 72.9 years, the “partial smiles” group averaged 75 and those with the biggest grins lived on average until 79.9.